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Council discusses switching museum irrigation to river water; museum announces $50,000 grant
Summary
Council asked staff to study converting the museum’s irrigation from culinary water to river/ditch irrigation to reduce costs; the museum reported receiving a $50,000 Marriner S. Eccles Foundation grant to support a curator and expanded hours as part of a larger capital plan.
Council members debated whether to convert museum irrigation from culinary (treated) water to river/ditch irrigation and asked staff to research cost and design options.
Staff warned the conversion would require technical study (point of diversion, filtration and potentially a registered diversion) and possible contract review; council members suggested xeriscaping portions of the grounds to reduce water needs as an interim measure. One councilmember recommended the city manager contact a local contractor who had completed similar work elsewhere.
Separately, the museum’s representative told the council the museum had been awarded $50,000 from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation to help reopen seven days a week and to hire a curator to redesign exhibit space. The museum said the initial fundraising goal for the project would be roughly $200,000 and that additional foundation applications were pending.
Council asked staff to research river‑water pumping options, vendor designs and grant opportunities and to return with cost estimates; no fiscal commitment to irrigation conversions was made at the meeting.
